Early season ups and downs

Facts can tell a story. However they're also open for interpretation. We're now ten games unbeaten in the league, winning 6 of these and have scored 16 goals in the process and conceding just 4. 6 of these games are without our so-called talisman Luis Suarez, after his biting ban on Ivanovic. However, others will argue that these bare facts are deceptive and to an extent they're right. Two narrow wins against Villa, and 1-0 wins over Stoke and QPR are nothing to shout about. 6 of those 16 goals were scored against an abysmal Newcastle side. We also had 3 goalless draws, against Reading of all teams, West Ham and Everton. Arguably our best result is a 3-1 win away at Fulham, hardly a result to shout about.

As I say, stats can be read either way. Nevertheless, as our season is now well and truly underway, I feel that looking at more than just the stats is the best way to establish where we are right now. With the exception of the Reading and Fulham games, I've watched all of these games live, including all 3 at the start of this season and (if I'm honest) all but one of our pre-season fixtures. I feel well placed to talk about our current position.

Personally, I think that the majority of this run of games isn't overly impressive. The only games we actually should be impressed by at the back end of last season are the 6-0 demolition of Newcastle (as well as we've played in a very very long time) and the 3-1 win over Fulham, which could and should have been more. However, trends that appear in those games appear to be carrying over to this season. And this is understandable, after all, it is largely the same team of players that are playing the matches.

Nevertheless, I have been impressed to a degree by what I have seen so far this season. Obviously, there is room for improvement, but there are a lot of positives to take out of our opening 3 fixtures, as well as plenty of points to learn from. One thing that is consistent from last season is the scoring form of Daniel Sturridge. which has been sensational. 15 goals in 19 appearances, with 5 assists to boot says it all. Anyone who wants to complain about the quality of the opposition should note his contributions in games against United, Chelsea and City, all of whom he scored against, plus his first career hat-trick against Fulham. It may be early in his Liverpool career, but the quality of some of his goals, especially his close control against Villa on Saturday is very exciting.

Another player who looks an absolute gem is Phillipe Coutinho. His range of passing is incredible, he has excellent ball control and he is developing an understanding with Sturridge. Whilst his goals tally is only 3 in 16 appearances, he has latched up 8 assists in that time, one every two games. Both of these two are very astute signings from Brendan Rodgers.

Another impressive signing is goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has performed heroics in both of our opening Premier League fixtures to keep us in the game, denying Walters from the spot and Benteke in the Villa match. Whilst his ability to deal with crosses has looked a little bit suspect, he is undoubtedly a world class shot stopper, one of the best in the league.

In all 3 of our opening fixtures, we have played very well in spells. Against Stoke, we were dominant for long periods and created many chances. Against Villa, we were a lot less in control, but nevertheless we were very well disciplined and rarely looked threatened by them. Last night against Notts County, we should have eased through, but poor finishing, poor refereeing and defensive errors conspired against us.

This brings me to some of the negative areas regarding our start to the season. Against Stoke, for all our chances, we didn't kill the game. We hit the bar, had a goal (correctly) disallowed for offside, Henderson could have had a hat-trick and Coutinho had a really good chance just after half-time where he should have at least hit the target. But, we didn't finish them off and then a really stupid mistake from our vice-captain (great choice by the way, I'm very pleased for him and he's been one of the first names on the team sheet for a while now) meant that I was convinced we'd blown it. Typical Liverpool. But, Mignolet's heroics rescued the three points.

Against Villa, the problems were slightly different. We scored the goal midway through the first half and then shut up shop. To be fair to Rodgers, Villa are a lot more dangerous on the counter attack than Stoke with Agbonlahor, Weimann and Benteke and we were away from home and we defended very well, Villa rarely looked like threatening. But nevertheless, we needed a second to kill the game and once again, I was starting to think that we were going to throw it away. It took a last ditch stop from Mignolet to ensure we walked away with the three points.

Notts County had the potential to be an unqualified disaster. When Sturridge scored a fantastic goal to make it 2-0, I thought that was the game in the bag. But even against lower league sides, if you don't take your chances, you can be punished on the break. We hit the post three times, their keeper made a couple of good saves and we were unfairly denied at least one penalty, and had a close offside go against us. But then things went completely wrong and some brilliant counter play from County got them back into it, Arquin playing like a man possessed. However, as harsh as it is on the young lad Wisdom, he could have prevented both goals. The first one, it was he who was bullied by Arquin who he was picking up (although Toure arguably should have had better awareness of what was behind him) and for the second he could and should have blocked the shot on the line (Glen Johnson however will be annoyed he was caught so badly out of position up the pitch).

With Cissokho, Toure and Allen all coming off injured and leaving us down to 10 men having made 3 chances before Toure pulled his groin, I was starting to think this night was becoming a nightmare. At this point, I was sure that this would be the moment we became a laughing stock again. I knew our great start to the season wouldn't last. But then County are denied a penalty (I think this one could've been given either way and in any case we had a very similar one in normal time, not to mention one even better shout) and Sturridge goes down the other end and scores arguably the jammiest goal of his Liverpool career so far. It was going to be our night after all. Henderson's superb nutmeg and gloss managed to put a bit of gloss on it.

It was a lesson we needed to learn. Don't finish your chances and you will drop points. We've been guilty of this on so many occasions over the last couple of seasons but so far this season, we'd gotten away with it. Last night, I like to think that the players might finally realise that even 2-0 up against a side who have 1 point in 4 games at the bottom of League 1, you have to take your chances.

But, the key thing for me is this. These are the sorts of games that the Liverpool of two/three seasons ago and hell even last season would have been drawing or worse losing. I kept expecting us to stay true to form and mess up but we haven't done it yet. We've escaped unscathed. Two wins out of two in the league and we're 2nd. We're into the next round of the League Cup. Only just, but we are. We are three games into the season and we've come out on top in every one. We have two straight clean sheets in the league and the worse case scenario going into the international break is that we are 1 point behind Chelsea and United and level on points with City. We'll be ahead of Everton whatever happens and we'll either be ahead of Arsenal or level on points with both Arsenal and Spurs. And all this is assuming that United beat us on Sunday.

Kolo Toure's injury is a huge blow, but I am a massive fan of Martin Skrtel, assuming he's fit and he is more than capable of filling in. I think you'd be a fool to bet against Sturridge scoring on Sunday and Rodgers is capable of the kind of defensive discipline that frustrated United on Monday night against Chelsea. And all this is without Luis Suarez, who when he gets back into the side, I'm hoping will continue to be the Tour-de-Force he was last season.

All in all, I am very happy with the way we are progressing. In truth, this is as good as I've felt about Liverpool going into a league season since we came 2nd in 2009. It remains to be seen whether we can challenge for 4th spot and we'll probably learn more about that on Sunday but we're most definitely in better shape than we were when Brendan joined just over 12 months ago and this is a season that I think we can finally come good.

Also, on a non-football related note, Last Stand of Dead Men comes out tomorrow, and I am fucking excited.

1 down, 37 to go

Hindsight can make things look so much more obvious. Take a glance at last season’s opening day and you’ll see what I mean. 5-0 wins for Fulham and Swansea set the tone for a strong season for both of those teams, whilst their opposition, QPR and Norwich, both struggled for large portions of the season, Norwich finding some form towards the back end but QPR ultimately doomed. West Ham’s victory against Villa signalled the start of a great season for the newly promoted Hammers whilst Villa were destined to scrape by. Reading’s late equaliser against Stoke suggested promise but ultimately, despite a few late battles, they were ultimately quashed, whilst Stoke had a pretty poor season themselves, with Pulis sacked at the end of it. West Brom also set the tone early, murdering us and it was obvious that not only were the Albion in for a good year, but we were really not.

Chelsea got off to a flyer against an atrocious Wigan side but settled down after scoring a couple (a feat they repeated this weekend) and they had a good but ultimately hit and miss season, whilst Wigan were unceremoniously dumped out of the league. Judging by their defending in the opening 20 minutes of this game, I’m not surprised. As for City, they laboured to a hard fought victory against a Southampton side that fiercely battled and this summed up both teams seasons, as City failed hopelessly to stop United and Southampton battled their way to a solid position. United meanwhile, lost on the opening day, and whilst it may seem odd to say this set the tone for their season, the simple fact was (and remains in truth) that they look rather out of sorts without Robin Van Persie. But this game said more about Everton than it did their opponents as Fellaini set the tone by bullying and harrying a strewn together United back 4 and Everton had a brilliant season.

Of course, not every game will show this. Some games you look back on and see no clues of what was to come. The two North East clubs got off to great starts against the two North London clubs, as Sunderland held Arsenal 0-0 and Newcastle beat Spurs 2-1. If you’re being really pedantic, you could make a point about Arsenal’s result being slightly better but ultimately these were flukes. Arsenal scored a bucket load of goals whilst Sunderland had a dreadful season and Newcastle had an even worse one, barely escaping relegation. Spurs were on fire for much of the first half of the season, once Bale hit top form.

And so we come to this year’s opening day. What can we glean from our opening set of fixtures?

Liverpool v Stoke:

Not a lot in truth. I said to my brother before this game kicked off that the Liverpool team looked very similar to the team that finished last season, with Toure and Mignolet straight swaps for Carra and Reina and Aspas in to the attack the only real change. And we played like we finished last season, dominant, Coutinho creating chance after chance, Gerrard and Lucas running the midfield and when Sturridge found the net it looked good. But we still have a shocking inability to finish off a game and this nearly hurt us with that late penalty. As for Stoke, they look to have changed their playing style but they never got much of the ball to play with. They constantly looked a threat from set pieces, which has always been the case and, as we all already knew, Stoke need a new penalty taker (seriously, when I realised it was Walters taking it, I was already 50% more confident he’d miss).

Arsenal v Aston Villa:

Arsenal need to make signings. In truth, this didn’t need an opening day humiliation to be obvious but nevertheless, the lack of new players was painfully on show as Arsenal fell to a 3-1 defeat to Villa. Struck forcefully by injuries, Arsenal have gone nowhere while teams around them are improving. Villa keeping Benteke is a huge boost for them but Gabby Agbonlahor was their star man, ripping apart Arsenal's defence. I think Villa will be stronger this season than last, but I wouldn't back them for a top half finish. And as for the refereeing, it's as under the spotlight as ever. The first penalty, in my mind, should've been a red card but to counterbalance that, no way should Koscielny have gone. His first booking may have been a penalty but not from the angle the ref was looking at and the second yellow was harsh at best. A tough day for the man in the middle.

Norwich v Everton:

Feed the Wolf and he will score. Words used in regard to Norwich's new striker Van Wolfswinkel and he showed off his abilities with a thumping equalising header. That and a wonderful solo goal for Whittaker were the highlights in an otherwise poor game for Norwich fans, many of whom cannot deny they should've been beaten. Everton had the most passes and possession of the teams playing on Saturday and Sunday but the lack of clinical edge could cost them this season. Ross Barkley looks a very fine talent, and his left-footed thunderbolt showed not only a brilliant technical ability but a confidence and an inability to be affected by pressure, both of which are rarely seen in a gifted 19 year old. Keeping Baines and Fellaini will be crucial to Everton's season, but I think that they should take a leaf out of Norwich's book and get themselves a goalscorer because I don't think either Jelavic or Kone will cut it. 

Sunderland v Fulham: 

A perfect start for a Fulham side that many believe will struggle this season. I am not one of them. Martin Jol is a great manager and in Dimitar Berbatov they have a world class striker. Stekelenburg looks a good replacement for Mark Schwartzer and they have a good, solid team. Sunderland, meanwhile are in a stage of transition. I like Paolo Di Canio and what he is doing at Sunderland. I like their signings and I like the methodology but nevertheless, they need to get points on the board early if they're to avoid a dogfight. I fancy them to stay up, but they lacked an ability to finish or in truth to carve out chances on Saturday that will be alarming Di Canio. They need goals and quick.

West Brom v Southampton:

Two sides that had mixed fortunes last season and I feel they'll both finish in a similar position this time out. I worry about how West Brom are going to replace the strength, power and goals that Lukaku brought them last season. Anelka is a good striker but does he still have what it takes to bang in 15 goals in the top division? I am a fan of Shane Long but his goal-scoring record leaves a lot to be desired and West Brom are another side that need to hit the ground running, although I can't see them going down. As for Southampton, they look good. Osvaldo is a big signing for them and it remains to see how he'll integrate into the team but they played very well on Saturday. What I like about them is that they're using a lot of young, exciting English players, like Luke Shaw, a clearly very talented left back. And for me, the fact that Rickie Lambert hasn't been snapped up by a big club is fantastic for Southampton and I really hope he can continue his brilliant form at the top level. This could be a good year for them.

West Ham v Cardiff:

West Ham have a very good team here. Joe Cole looks reborn at them, and they're hoping that the signs that Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing will be too prove correct. Jarvis is another good winger and in Noble, Diame and Nolan they have a very very good central midfield. Top half finish for them? I'd say so. As for Cardiff, they didn't put up too much of a fight, but were they ever going to? It remains to be seen whether or not this Cardiff side have what it takes to survive and if they've brought in enough players. Goals, as ever, will be an issue but so will keeping clean sheets. It'll be a struggle for them.

Swansea v Man United:

Swansea are another team I really like. They play good football and in Michu and Bony they have goalscorers. Chico Flores and Ashley Williams are a solid centre-back partnership and they should be on for another very good season. Although the scoreline wouldn't suggest it, they played pretty well against a United side that never really outplayed them. The United backline looked a tad shaky at times but in the end, the simple fact is United have players capable of winning games. Robin Van Persie was immense, scoring two brilliant goals and playing his part in another. Valencia played a brilliant ball for Welbeck's first and as much as I hate to admit it, Welbeck and Rooney's link up play for goal no.4 was stunning. But this United team look like they're relying on Van Persie to make things happen and I don't fancy them for the title if something should happen to him.

Crystal Palace v Spurs:

Palace gave a very good account of themselves in their first league game back in the top division. They defended very very well and I like left back Moxey, despite him conceding the penalty that cost them the match. They created one or two decent openings but if they can defend like this against other sides, they'll get points. But they have a real lack of experience and goals in their side. Kevin Phillips is getting to the stage of his career where he'll be reduced to cameos and neither Wilbraham nor Chamakh look like they'll grab more than half a dozen. I like the look of young Gayle but I fear for Palace. They were helped out by a Spurs side with a real lack of creativity. Considering how well they played last season, it was a surprise to see them struggling to break down Palace. They've brought in a lot of new players and Soldado upfront looks like a man who will score 20 goals plus, which is great news for them. But they were underwhelming on Sunday and they can do a lot better.

Chelsea v Hull City: 

For the opening twenty minutes of this game, Hull looked like the side that we would watch be washed away. Their defence looked very weak and they could barely hold onto the ball as impressive Chelsea got in time after time. However, as the game went on, Hull played some very good football. However, Chelsea took their foot off the gas and I still feel as though Hull will struggle to stay up. They've got some good passers in their side, and in Huddlestone, Livermore and Graham they have made some excellent signings but I can't see them keeping enough clean sheets to stay in this division. As for Mourinho's Chelsea, they have been clear favourites for the title ever since he announced his return. I think they're in for another disappointing year though, we've seen this kind of optimism too many times over the last few years. Nevertheless, they look good and will certainly challenge in every competition, I'm certain they'll win something, just not the league. 3rd for me.

Man City v Newcastle: 

Before this game, I said I thought City would win the title and Newcastle would go down. Nothing I saw changed my mind. City look fresh, exciting and dangerous and played the best football of the weekend. Even with big players on the bench, they ran riot here. Dzeko has never played so well, their big three of Silva, Toure and Aguero all scored and their defence looks rock solid. Navas, Fernandinho and Negredo all looked impressive and not even the injury to Kompany will dampen their spirits, as long as he's back for the United game, I can't see any of their opposition before then troubling them. Newcastle on the other hand were wretched. They lack quality in all areas of the pitch. Cisse and Ben Arfa aside, they have no attacking flair, and if they lose Cabaye, their midfield loses its only spark. Collocini is a great defender but he lacks back up and Steven Taylor was awful before he got himself sent off. Pardew and Kinnear are a disaster waiting to happen and Newcastle are in for another year of pain. 

To sum up then, my predictions for the season are as follows. The top 3 are in a league of their own, but City for me have to be favourites. The two North London sides will be battling with Liverpool for 4th spot, but as far as I'm concerned, it's Spurs for the taking. Swansea, Everton and the Hammers should all make up the top 10 and then come the likes of WBA, Fulham and Southampton. Norwich and Villa should be alright, as they have the fire power but Stoke and Sunderland will struggle. All three newly promoted sides are in for a tough season, but I suspect Cardiff will escape the drop at the expense of Newcastle.

1. Man City

2. Man Utd

3. Chelsea

4. Spurs

5. Liverpool

6. Arsenal

7. Everton

8. Swansea

9. West Ham 

10. Fulham

11. Southampton

12. West Brom

13. Norwich

14. Aston Villa

15. Stoke 

16. Sunderland

17. Cardiff

18. Newcastle

19. Hull

20. Crystal Palace

And before I sign off, a quick shout out to Northants Cricket Club, who pulled off a stunning victory to claim the Friends Life T20 Final by over 100 runs. Brilliant work lads. 

Roy Hodgson

Let me start out by saying that I am a massive fan of Roy Hodgson. He has done some good stuff for England and I hope he moves the team forward. But I was not impressed with him on Wednesday night. Not in the slightest. I didn't like his starting 11, I didn't like his tactics and I didn't like his subs either. We were defensively all over the place and attacking wise for much of the game we looked toothless.

Of course, it wouldn't be fair to blame Hodgson for all of this. After all, the players are rusty, not yet started their league season (and for the record I think this is a wretched time for a friendly, at least nobody got injured) and most importantly, the pool of potential players is pretty damn poor. Nevertheless, Hodgson or whoever helps him pick the side, have this obsession with mediocre players from big clubs, rather than good players from smaller clubs.

Let's start at the back. Joe Hart in goal. Obviously, this is a no-brainer. He's the best English keeper we have, playing football every week at one of the top 3 clubs in the country. He made a howler for the first goal, but for the sake of argument, let's put it down to rustiness and that he was unsighted (though if these howlers carry on, as they began to feature last season, we may have a problem). But who else do we have as an option? Ben Foster is experienced but error-strewn at the top level. Keepers like Alex McCarthy, Fraser Forster and Jack Butland are relatively untested and I think perhaps our best secondary option is John Ruddy, I'll be watching him closely at Norwich this season.

Defensively is where we have a problem. There is no denying we have two brilliant left backs in Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines and personally, I think people are way too quick to write Cole off, he's still better than Baines for me, although it is close. Baines, I've noticed, is also horribly one footed but then so is Arjen Robben and he's one of the best wingers in world football. On the other flank, I like Kyle Walker and he is quick, but he had a bad season at Spurs and Johnson is first choice for me comfortably. But in the centre of defence is where we have real problems.

It is fair to say that this is where we have a small pool of players. With the likes of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Jamie Carragher out the picture, we have lost 3 world class centre halves. But look at our current selection and only Phil Jagielka is playing regular first team football! Smalling and Jones are lucky to get near the first team at United behind Ferdinand, Vidic and Evans and even then they mostly end up at right back (a slot England have enough good players in). Gary Cahill looks a good prospect, but he has had a tough first season at Chelsea with injuries a factor and he hasn't played consistently, with Ivanovic and Luiz also options there. But look at the players who have been looked over. Shawcross at Stoke has been excellent. Dawson and Caulker at Spurs both had great seasons and if we're going for players that don't play for their club, why not throw Joleon Lescott into the mix? This obsession with Man United reserves or part times is getting us nowhere, let's look at players who are performing consistently in the Premier League.

Into midfield now, where arguably we have the best choices. In central midfield we have Gerrard, Lampard, Cleverley, Carrick, Wilshere, Parker etc. I think Cleverley, Gerrard and Wilshere is the wrong choice for several reasons. For starters, I think Cleverley and Wilshere play too similar a role and as a result, the midfield feels bogged down. I think they're both excellent players, but in a 3 man midfield, I think Carrick is a better choice (to be fair he wasn't fit to play but I think Hodgson may have gone with Wilshere and Cleverley anyway). In terms of wingers, we have Walcott, Young and Milner who play regular football well, then the likes of Zaha and the Ox who are up and coming as well.

Yet for some reason, and we are getting to the crux of it now, Danny Welbeck is playing out on the left. Are you kidding me? Is our striker pool so tiny that not only does Welbeck have to be in the squad, but we are playing him out of position? In the second half against Scotland, Roy had 3 wingers on the pitch, yet decided to play Welbeck out left, leaving Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain in the middle. Is this a joke?

The real heart of this problem though, is Wayne Rooney. Everything stems and circles around him. I am not a huge fan of Wayne Rooney, but nevertheless, when he puts on an England shirt, he is our best attacking option without a doubt. But for the love of God, he does not work as a lone forward. He works best playing just in behind the central striker, which was why he kept dropping deep to get involved in the play and as a result, he was rarely in a decent position in behind the defence. In a formation with a 3 man midfield, Rooney is not the man to lead the line. As such, we often saw Welbeck shifting inside and this didn't work as now we have a gaping hole down our left side. Yes, this works because we have bombing on full backs, but inevitably, we have a lop-sided strike force.

If you've got players like Rickie Lambert or Jermain Defoe in your side, utilise them. When you have both, one can be an impact sub but the other can start and wreak havoc, running in behind and firing in goals with pinpoint accuracy. And as for the strikers picked, as glad as I am to see Lambert finally picked, he's only playing because Sturridge is injured and Welbeck should definitely not be in the squad. Le Fondre, Agbonlahor, Crouch and even Andy Carroll had better rates at the top level. Hell even Stuart Downing scored more goals. Downing. I rest my case.

5 shows I can't wait to return in Autumn

Ahhh America. It's style of TV is so very different to ours but the bonus of this is that you rarely have to wait more than a few months for your favourite shows. This years Autumn crop finished in late May time, so even though it's only been two or three months since they ended, they're back very soon now. Here are the picks I've been holding out for (SPOILERS obviously):

5. Elementary

This latest Sherlock Holmes remake should absolutely not be compared to BBC hit Sherlock because they are completely different entities. The first series of Elementary had its weaker points, but ultimately, it worked. The serialised format made it almost your bog standard detective drama but Johnny Lee Miller's Sherlock lifts it above that. His friction with Joan, his drug problems, his various eccentricities and it really picked up towards the end. Natalie Dormer was stunning in the finale and the Irene Adler is Moriarty twist was huge. The key to any debut series is ending on a high, so people want it to return and Elementary did this well.

4. New Girl

The first series of New Girl was patchy at best, so it took me a while to finally get around to watching series 2 but boy am I glad I did. It finally picked up and a solid run of episodes saw it vault its way into my interest. Obviously the main reason it became addictive is the Jess/Nick will they/won't they but who doesn't love Schmit? With a lot of the suspense taken out with that relationship seemingly flourishing, it'll still be on my watch list for September.

3. How I Met Your Mother

With HIMYM struggling through series 7 and the first half of series 8, it was a pleasant surprise when it picked up and the back end of series 8 was brilliant. I was disappointed with the finale, but learning that the entirety of series 9 is set over the wedding weekend is an exciting prospect. We will finally meet the mother, see if Robin and Barney do in fact tie the knot (my money is on no but it could go either way) and flashes both forward and back will hopefully give this brilliant show a final season it deserves.

2. The Big Bang Theory

Possibly my favourite comedy on TV and definitely my favourite that's still going (why did Friends ever have to end). Shockingly, I've only just got into TBBT, but after rattling through all 6 seasons in a week, I found myself horribly addicted and desperate for series 7. It's good to see things moving forward as well, Raj is finally able to talk to women, which will undoubtedly be hilarious, Amy and Sheldon will also be making developments and it's good to have Leonard and Penny in a good place. Also, with Leonard gone, the developing of Penny and Sheldon's friendship is one I adore. Into series 7 and thankfully, showing no signs of stopping.

1. Arrow

I decided to take a punt on Arrow when it started last year. I found myself intrigued by the opener but I enjoyed it a lot. It started off a little patchy but it improved so much and by the end of the series, I was well and truly hooked. Diggle is a brilliant addition to the show from the Comics and the way it has twisted traditional stories on its head (killing Tommy WHAT?!) has been fantastic. The Island flashbacks are awesome, Felicity is a stunning character and above all Stephen Amell has showed he is one of the best leading actors I've seen in a long time. The scene between him and Malcolm Merlyn in the hospital is absolutely fantastic. So excited for season 2.

Gerrard Testimonial

First things first, today was about Steven Gerrard. A man who has given so much to Liverpool and despite various offers from other clubs, he has shown his undying loyalty to the club he has played at since he was a boy. This was his testimonial and I will add my thanks to all the others and say thank you for all you've given to the club and congrats for all your goals, appearances and rewards.

Now the game itself. Gerrard played with typical Gerrard style, bombing on, defending well, spraying 50 yard balls like it's nobody's business. As for the other heroes of the day, it is obvious that Robbie Fowler isn't half as fit as he used to be. Misplaced passes all over the shop, looked as if running 10 yards was a struggle and all the little jokes about fitting into his shirt. Never mind, the man is 38, hasn't played football in a while and the simple fact he made his appearance made the fans explode into cheers.

Another man out of retirement to make an appearance today was Jamie Carragher and he had a solid final display, given the armband as Gerrard was replaced with 8 minutes remaining. Although I imagine he won't be too happy about being nutmegged. The likes of Jay Spearing, Brad Jones and Luis Alberto were given a late run out as well but we didn't see much of them. There was a small niggling worry as Agger took a blow but that too seems like nothing to worry about.

But all this was nothing more than late theatrics, flourishes to an excellent day to be a Liverpool supporter. And on top of what was an excellent day for the club and the fact this was a testimonial, it was also an integral part of Liverpool's pre-season training. And it is important, so close to the start of the season to take stock and see where the club is at.

For 75 minutes or so, it's important to bear in mind this was a serious display for Liverpool, with the first team very likely to be one, minus Daniel Sturridge, that we'll see in two weeks time against Stoke. And, it was the first serious opposition this team have faced. A decent Champions League side whose pre-season preparations are at an identical stage to Liverpool's, as their league campaign starts two days after ours.

And overall, it was a very positive display. Our back 4 looked fairly solid, with Lucas in front of them impressive. Gerrard dominant in the midfield, the full backs bombing on and getting involved in the play. Mignolet made one small error but otherwise looked as solid as ever and Raheem Sterling will hopefully play a key part this season, in one of the wide roles that is certainly up for grabs. On the other flank, we saw Coutinho continue to impress after an excellent tour to match his quality finish to last season. He also seems to be preferred to stay out on that left, though when Henderson came on we saw him take a central role. Whether or not he plays there depends on who plays with him. Certainly, the back 5 we saw today will likely be the one that starts the majority of games, unless Liverpool bring in any new faces in the next few weeks (with support surely needed, we're lacking strength in depth there, though Skrtel is in my mind a world class centre half). Lucas and Gerrard are also the first names on the team sheet, likewise Coutinho. Sturridge should slot in, leaving two positions open.

At this point, we have to assume a lack of Luis Suarez and incoming signings. Suarez won't be available straight away anyway and although there are rumours, we don't know who else, if anyone is coming in. Suarez today when he came on looked short of fitness, as you'd expect but also his attitude isn't great, despite the fantastic reception he got from the Anfield crowd.

So who do you play? Sterling certainly is an option, and today we saw Henderson and Allen both stake their claims. I've not been a fan of Joe Allen but when he plays, he gives our midfield a better balance, freeing up Gerrard a lot more than playing Coutinho in the centre does. He played very well today, moving forward freely, grabbing a goal and he could have had a hat-trick. He looked composed off the ball, hungry to win it back off it and I was very impressed by what I saw today. However, Henderson also made an impact, making it 2-0 12 seconds after coming on. He also seems good and can play out on the left, freeing up Coutinho for a central role.

And Iago Aspas also had an impressive display. Much like Suarez, he was happy to drift out wide and supply passes for others, as he did for the Allen goal and played some lovely touches. His finishing didn't look 100% as he had a couple of chances but he's looked impressive in other pre-season games as well. I wouldn't like to have to choose between him and Sterling, as I wouldn't like to choose between Allen and Henderson. Also, Downing, Borini and Alberto will all play a role as the season develops.

Ultimately, I think the team that plays in two weeks time, as it currently stands, is this:

Mignolet;  Johnson, Toure, Agger, Enrique;   Lucas, Allen, Gerrard;  Coutinho, Aspas, Sturridge

Allen did enough today to convince me he should play ahead of Henderson, and I also like Coutinho on the left. Sturridge simply has to play, there's no doubt about that and as much as I like Sterling, Aspas just pips him today. If they bring in someone else then they might stake a claim and we can't forget Downing, but this is the 11 for me, based on today and previous games.